Tigers Find a Home

Two highly endangered Malayan tigers find refuge at a conservation center, where visitors can view these rare big cats.

The Exotic Feline Breeding Compound’s Feline Conservation Center welcomes home two Malayan tigers to inhabit its newly completed natural habitat enclosure for tigers. A female named “Bupati” and a male, “Tiga,” moved into the center on Nov. 19.

The two tigers arrived at the center to begin a breeding program for this endangered tiger subspecies. The public is welcome to visit the new tiger residents at the FCC in Rosamond, Calif., between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily.

The Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) inhabits the southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula (which includes parts of Thailand and Malaysia). This subspecies of tiger is highly endangered with a current population estimated at 500 in the wild. In 1968 the Indochinese tiger Panthera tigris corbetti was newly designated, and the tigers of Malaya and Singapore were included into this subspecies.

Among tiger subspecies, the Malayan and the Indochinese tiger are very similar, but Malayan tigers appear to be smaller than Indian tigers, similar in size to Sumatran tigers. Body weight ranges from 52 to 195 lb for females and 104 to 285 lb for males.

Tigers of the world are dangerously close to extinction everywhere in the world. When centers like the EFBC and cooperative managed breeding efforts with other zoos and facilities that one of the many species of big cats can be saved from extinction. The EFBC’s Feline Conservation Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of endangered wild feline species.

The EFBC houses more than 75 rare felines representing 18 wild feline species. Guests can visit the EFB and view large wild cats like the familiar jaguars and leopards as well as smaller and lesser known species like Southeast Asian fishing cats, and margays and many more; admission is nominal, and parking is free. Since 1977, and through its very successful captive breeding management programs, the EFBC has been working with other zoos and facilities, worldwide, in an effort to save endangered feline species from extinction. For general or information, or please call (661) 256-3793 or click here.